


Pillar of Remembrance

by AvinRyd



Series: Painted Upon the Walls of Our Hearts [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Delta Episode, F/F, Freeform, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Reunions, personal take on ORAS player character, so kind of May/Zinnia I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 18:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6716056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvinRyd/pseuds/AvinRyd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Burying her hand in Sahil’s shimmering fur, Cora stared up at the many levels of the Sky Pillar. Nothing had changed in the year she’d been gone. It never changed. She was one of only three who could pass, after all, and the only one who returned regularly. Once a year, every year, for more than half a decade now and still the pillar stayed in its state of suspended ruin. </p><p>Although…."</p><p>--</p><p>Years have passed and Cora, twice-savior of Hoenn and Champion of the Pokemon League, returns to the Sky Pillar to fulfill her annual duties as Lorekeeper. However, nostalgia aside, something is off about the tower this year...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pillar of Remembrance

**Author's Note:**

> The alternate summary of this piece being, "I fell in love with Zinnia during the Delta Episode and couldn't leave my player character to pine after the love of her life forevermore."

**First**

“Wh- Ack!”

 

A loud, scraping racket echoed about the room and Cora caught her breath; a chunk of pillar had slipped under her foot and she’d almost fallen. Her Absol trilled softly, stepping up to her side.

“‘S fine, Sahil. Just tripped, is all.”

Burying her hand in Sahil’s shimmering fur, Cora stared up at the many levels of the Sky Pillar. Nothing had changed in the year she’d been gone. It never changed. She was one of only three who could pass, after all, and the only one who returned regularly. Once a year, every year, for more than half a decade now and still the pillar stayed in its state of suspended ruin.

Although….

Brow furrowed, Cora bent to examine the shard that caught her foot. Odd. The stone was pale, shot through with sparkling veins of….what had Steven called it? Quartz. Yes, that was it. Not that the name was important, only that the stone in Cora’s hand was from the top floor of the pillar. The only way it would be down here, with the dark granite around their feet would be-

Cora offered the stone to her pokemon. “Sahil. This smell familiar?”

The Absol’s dark nose twitched, examining the shard, then he gave his trainer a puzzled look. She frowned at Sahil’s uncertain whine.

“Right…” A red light flashed and Sahil disappeared into its pokeball. Clipping the device to her belt, Cora swung up the first rung of a nearby ladder. Confusion swirled in her gut, but it’d been so long since she’d been properly puzzled. It almost felt good.

~Ɑ~

_“AH! Sorry, I didn’t-”_

_Two voices sounded through Littleroot Town at exactly the same time. Unwilling to expose herself to any ‘Jinx! You owe me a berry’ nonsense, Cora snapped her mouth shut. Still a bit disoriented from running smack into a stranger in her own doorway, the trainer stared at the newcomer. Red eyes, like the wine her parents drank at dinner, glittered back._

_“Woah! Are we in sync or what?” Red-eyes had a laugh that was bordering on maniacal. It only added to the wild look about her, with the ragged cape, tousled dark hair and feral grin to match._

_“Um-”_

_“Heh…” Where there had been laughter a second ago, the stranger’s eyes now turned curious, almost calculating. “Y’know, I was just thinking about you. It’s really great to meet you.”_

_Cora very nearly stepped back at the complete change in character. Red-eyes had gone from a giggling child to a dangerous and….flirtatious equal? The shock finally unlocked her voice, though and she stuttered,_

“ _Do I know yo-” Only to be talked over once again._

“ _Hm, nah. It’s our first real meeting, I do believe. The name’s Zinnia. Of course, I know ALL about you. You’re Cora, new League Champion,”_

_The way Zinnia said her name sent a shiver down Cora’s spine and, this time, she really did step back. That seemed to knock the stranger back into her manic mode and she burst out laughing, babbling something about Mega Evolution and Brendan and then suddenly there was a goodbye tossed in Cora’s face and she was alone on the doorstep._

_Slightly dazed, Cora wandered across the way to Brendan’s house and headfirst into another worldwide mess._

**Second**

A thick layer of dust muffled Cora’s footsteps as she picked through the rubble scattered about. All around, silence reigned. Above and below, austere and cold, the mural watched her progress. Cora’s tongue itched to sing the story-song, as she always did on her annual visit, and her pokemon too, seemed impatient in their capsules. She could feel, though, that this was the wrong time.

Around her, the very air seemed to hum in….not agitation, and yet not excitement either. Curiosity, perhaps? It was at times like this that Cora wished her pokemon could talk. The obviously understood the auras of the world better than her…

~Ɑ~

_“......ss there is a painting here after all. Looks authentic too, story fits and everything. What’d you think, Aster?”_

_Cora froze mid-tip-toe. On setting foot in Granite Cave, she knew something was off. It wasn’t anything she could put her finger on, but the air almost smelled different. She’d felt this before. Being in the cave with Kyogre, before Team Aqua had revealed it, and exploring Latias’ island. This, though? Cora never thought she’d get such a strange feeling of a normal person. Maybe she was just imagining things. After all, this Zinnia girl had put her on edge at their first meeting, and not in a normal way. Maybe- No, no, definitely not. There was no way she’d been thinking about_ anyone _that way, Zinnia especially. The girl must just have some sort of hidden power. Maybe an extraordinary pokemon. Yep, that had to be it._

_“What’s that, Aster? Oh, hey!”_

_Cora’s face, already pink, flushed further. Slinking back behind the corner wasn’t an option; Zinnia had already seen her. Crap. Willing the blood from her cheeks, Cora stepped from her hiding spot._

_“Hey.”_

_“We do seem to be meeting an awful lot.” Zinnia sauntered forward, leaving the mural behind. “Are you interested in this old painting too? Or are you here for the other stuff?”_

_Cora shrugged lightly, unwilling to be bulldozed this time and moving to meet the other girl. “Both? I’m certainly interested in the murals. I’ve seen a lot of them around the country. I do need a piece of meteorite, though.”_

_“Mmhm. Been touring the caves with the dashing Steven, no doubt. Did he tell you about the meteorite shards? About the power lore says they hold for certain legendary pokemon? Or the historical uses of its other powers?” Zinnia’s mouth twisted, her disgust clear as the day._

_“What? No, he didn’t say anything about legendary pokemon.” They were very close now, Cora noted, only a couple feet of space between them. “Mr. Stone did mention something about a weapon, but what the Devon Corporation is doing is different…”_

_That earned a derisive snort. “Yeah? Who told you that? Devon’s president doesn’t have much incentive to tell you the whole story-”_

_“And apparently you don’t want to tell it to me either! As much as I’m enjoying this discussion, Zinnia, there’s a giant chunk of space rock heading towards us. Can we continue after the problem’s been fixed?”_

_Cora relished the look of shock on the other girl’s face for all of two seconds before her personal bubble was shattered and she found herself staring straight into wine-red eyes only inches away._

_“If you insist…” Zinnia murmured, then grinned and reached up a hand to pat the other’s cheek. “Either way, you know I adore you. And I just_ have _to battle you! I’ll play nice though and ask. You ready, O Champion?”_

_Face once again burning, Cora stepped back and tossed Latias’ pokeball in one hand casually, smirking to cover her discomfiture. The air cleared about them; battling was familiar, easy._

_“Thought you’d never ask.”_

**Third**

With a soft sigh, Cora tipped her face into the one shaft of moonlight that made it into the tower. Silver pooled around her feet, stark against her shadow and glinting off the keystone she’d had reset into a delicate gauntlet on her arm. Feeling this was as good a place as any to pause and gather her thoughts, she dropped gracefully to the floor and crossed her legs, Meditite-style.

The trainer’s fingers absently traced whorls and loops of her gauntlet, a familiar exercise she used to focus. The keystone hummed slightly when fingertips came into contact with the smooth surface. Cora’s eyes shuttered open and examined the stone; it glittered in the silvery moonlight, casting rainbow sparkles all about. In her travels and studies, she’d learned so much about the Mega Evolution phenomenon, but still, it held some secrets back.

~Ɑ~

_Still trying to blink away the light spots Latias’ mega evolution had left, Cora leaned back to watch the stars move by. Her pokemon knew the way to Mossdeep. Above and around, pinpricks of light blurred in the girl’s vision, much like the thoughts in her head. The Draconid Elder had given her much to think about. Mega Evolution, the history of ancient Hoenn, the current meteorite predicament, all were somehow connected._

_As if in sympathy with her confusion, the keystone on her wrist vibrated softly. Cora’s mouth twisted into a mou as she examined the stone. Starlight caught in it’s colorful depths and scattered Latias’ feathers with the rainbow. It was an odd rock. Sometimes, Cora swore up and down that it reacted to both her pokemon’s feelings and her own. That would make sense… After all, most people agreed that it was only through the deep emotion of both trainer and pokemon that mega evolution occurred. Perhaps the keystone focused her feelings, while her pokemon’s stone focused its emotions and that was what triggered the evolution?_

_Cora groaned and sat up, only to flop forward onto Latias’ smooth neck. That still didn’t fully explain why the stone warmed at the thought of certain people, and downright burned when a certain red-eyed Draconid crossed her mind. And speak of the devil, there it went, heating right along with her cheeks. Beneath her, the girl swore Latias giggled. She growled in return._

_“It’s not funny! Confusing, weird, annoying, not funny!”_

_Latias’ only response was a trilling hum. Right…_

**Fourth**

Unfortunately, the meditation stop had not seemed to help Cora’s search. Four floors up and there was still no sign of anyone else in the tower besides the odd rubble and tense aura. She was well and truly confused now. If someone had been here before, there should be footprints or _something_ in the thick coating of dust: perhaps a sound or brush of strange air. Nothing was tangible, though. All she was going on was a vague feeling and one measly rock.

Frustrated, the trainer pulled a pokeball from her belt and clicked it open. A Mightyena materialized in a burst of light.

“Hey Mira…” Cora reached to scratch between the pokemon’s ears, kneeling to press their foreheads together. “You smell anything odd around?”

The pokemon tilted her head and licked her trainer’s nose before pulling away and nosing about the tower floor. Cora laughed and settled back on her heels to watch. Even after all these years, Mira was still like a puppy, bounding about in excitement every time she was outside the pokeball. Her soft yips of interest echoed about the tower. From around the corner, there was a more decisive bark and the pokemon’s distinctive “I found something!” howl.

Turning the corner, Cora found her friend bouncing circles around a truncated pillar, yapping with joy. Her nose crinkled in bewilderment. There wasn’t anything here… Still, she fished a pokeblock from her knapsack and and tossed it to Mira, who leapt and caught it with practiced ease. The Mightyena trotted over and nosed Cora’s hand, making a happy noise when she got a scratch behind the ears for her troubles before being called back to the pokeball. Blinking the worst of the flash from her eyes, Cora eyed the stone chunk. There was nothing out of the ordinary around the base. The sides of the pillar were bare of interest as well. Breath whooshing out in frustration, she hoisted herself up just high enough to peek over the top of the stone and-

Ah. That would explain why there were no footprints on the _ground_ …

~Ɑ~

_All about the Space Center pandemonium reigned. Everyone was talking at once, loudly and panic-stricken in many cases, and all fell as noise on Cora’s ears. Zinnia’s words fought for attention in her head; “Other Hoenn,” “Tragedy,” “Short-sighted,” “Utter destruction,” “Parallel dimensions,” ideas both new and familiar, all pointing to a possibly gigantic mistake._

_Nearly gasping under the massive migraine suddenly assaulting her, the young League Champion excused herself from the kerfuffle. She waved off Steven’s concerned calling and bolted for the exit. Unthinking, she played the song of eons and let Latias take her away. She was barely aware they had landed until her pokeballs flashed at her side and a soft, furry head nudged her from Latias’ back and onto soft grass. Squinting against the too-bright daylight, Cora saw the pool in front of her personal hideaway. She managed a small smile to Latias before burying her head in Sahil’s fur. What was she going to do?_

_Though it only made the icepick in her head worse, Cora cried. This was far worse than the last disaster she’d averted. It seemed like only two options: risk this Hoenn, or risk a parallel one. Distantly, she heard Latias trill worriedly, then there was a cool, soothing sensation all about her. Still tearful, the girl looked up to see Latias’ head on her leg, her Recover move pulsing through the contact around all of them, trainer and pokemon. Slowly, the migraine dissipated. The tears remained, but they no longer hurt so badly._

_Sniffling, Cora sat up a bit straighter, shifting against Mira and Sahil, who both made concerned sounds. She gave them a watery smile and a scratch behind the ears before looking out over the pond. Kyogre peeked up from the surface, blinking, and from behind she heard Metagross shifting closer. Closing her eyes, Cora pulled in shaky breaths until her thoughts began to clear. She traced the lines on her Mega Bracelet absently. There had to be more than two ways to go about this problem. There_ had _to be._

_If she had it her way, Cora would have sat there for hours contemplating. Unfortunately, there was no time. As soon as the idea had been drafted, she stood, confidence trickling back while her pokemon returned to their capsules. She needed more information, and there was only one place to get it._

**Fifth**

Something akin to anticipation was buzzing under Cora’s skin. Of the other two people allowed in this tower, only one had the agility to ascend without touching the tower’s floor. She dared not allow herself to hope, but her own emotions gave her away. On her wrist, the keystone burned hotter than it had in years.

Despite Cora’s best efforts, her mind was flooded with both the best and the worst of her red-eyed memories. She’d been barely more than a child then, but still they cut like crystal. A light shiver ghosted under her skin. Cora had never been a hermit; her position as League Champion didn’t allow for that. Even so, no one she’d ever met had made such a physical impression on her besides- No, she couldn’t even _think_ her name yet, just in case she was utterly wrong. Still, the heat lingered in her mind and soul, mingling with anticipation in an intoxicating blend.

~Ɑ~

 _Cora’s heart-rate calmed, even as she pulled on her protective suit. This? This “saving the world with a plan” business? She could do this. She had_ done _this. Her battle with Zinnia had done wonders for the atmosphere between them as well. When Cora’d arrived, she’d been frustrated, confused, and overwhelmed. Once they’d reached the top of the tower, she’d witnessed Zinnia’s mask break, shatter into a thousand pieces. Then Rayquaza had appeared, giving her no time to process the emotional happenings of a few minutes before. Rayquaza caught, Zinnia’s challenge and the battle following gave Cora time to absorb the last hour’s events. Their battle was also the first interaction Cora had had with Zinnia where there were no guards, no masks, just two girls trying to save the world._

_Now, a sort of tension buzzed under Cora’s skin, but not the bad kind. It was so strong her fingers fumbled the clasp at the back of her suit, and, without warning, there was a presence behind her._

_“Clutz.” Came a low laugh from right next to Cora’s ear._

_“T-thanks…” She replied, removing her fingers before they shook apart. Not fast enough to avoid brushing Zinnia’s clever counterparts, though._

_It took all of Cora’s strength not to gasp at the touch of chill fingertips to her neck, and if Zinnia’s chuckle was anything to go by, she’d still flinched. The odd tension inside her built as the Draconid fiddled with the suit. Surely it didn’t take this long to lace one clasp together? The fiddling stopped as suddenly as it’d started, and just as Cora relaxed, there were hands on her shoulders, holding her still. Then there was a mouth_ right at her ear,

_“Good luck…”_

_And the mouth and hands were gone. Cora spun and caught Zinnia’s wrist before it retreated too far. She had this awful feeling that, if she didn’t hold on, the other girl would disappear forever._

_“Wait…” There was probably desperation in her blue eyes, but she didn’t care. “Please- When I get back- Don’t….” She trailed off helplessly._

_Zinnia’s answering smile was just a bit sad, and she clasped Cora’s hand._

_“Don’t worry, this isn’t the last you’ll hear from me.”_

_The Lorekeeper’s mouth twitched up into that familiar grin, and_ that _was the sight Cora carried with her to the stars._

**Top**

_There._ On the ladder, the one that led up to the Dragonhark, were scuffs in the dust. She hadn’t been wrong, after all. Officially out of patience, Cora scrambled up the rungs. Was she being reckless? Probably. Did she care? Not one jot.

~Ɑ~

 _The acro bike nearly rolled under Cora for about the fifth time and she didn’t give a damn. A letter. A_ letter. _That was all Zinnia had left? What kind of- How could she- That wasn’t what she’d meant at all! Cora’s feet pedaled frantically, carving a reckless path through the craters scattered over the path. It wasn’t fair. Now this was her only chance. Get to Meteor Falls before she left-_

~Ɑ~

Praying harder than she’d ever prayed before, Cora thrust herself up through to the Dragonhark. Please. _Please._

~Ɑ~

 _Too late. She was too late. Zinnia was long gone and_ how _was Cora supposed to find her now-_

~Ɑ~

Blue eyes whizzed about, searching, searching- There! Silver moonlight outlined two shapes, curled at the foot of the altar. One small, a child or a small pokemon, and the other- Just the right size for a twenty-something female trainer.

Silently, Cora lifted herself the rest of the way onto the Dragonhark. Worn sneakers padded softly across the weather-scoured rock. Closer, closer, until the shapes were in view. A Wismur, moving with sleepy breaths, and- And a young woman.

Zinnia had certainly grown. Gone were the round cheeks of a child, replaced with defined, delicate cheekbones. Still, her face was the pale oval of years past, her mouth lax in slumber, but with slight smile lines where that manic grin would be. Dark hair that had been a tousled mop now coiled in a long braid near her head. Cora caught a glimpse of a Mega Anklet, the same one from years before, as she knelt beside the sleeping Zinnia. Her fingers itched to touch, but she resisted. Instead, she pulled her blanket from the knapsack on her back and draped it over the other woman. There was a sleepy mumble and the dragon girl curled in on herself. Cora’s smile was soft as she stood, moving to sit a couple feet away.

The night wind pulled at Cora’s hair as she dug in her knapsack once more, reaching for something in the very depths. She let out a soft “Hah,” as her hand touched paper. The stationery was plain, a faintly yellow paper that had a blue pen clipped to one side. Everyone had made fun of her for buying it in this age of technology, but Cora had assured them it was a necessity. So what if she’d been thinking mostly of this barely-probably moment? Pen cap in mouth, she painstakingly printed the letter that she may have been mentally drafting for years. Her penmanship had never been good, so she took extra care. At the end, Cora signed her name, as well as her personal Lorekeeper sigil.

With paper crisply folded and slid into an envelope, Cora stood once more and crossed silently to the sleeping Wismur. Gently, she tucked the letter between its paws.

“Take care of this for me, Aster.” she whispered.

Task finished, Cora returned to her nearby place and leaned against the altar. The stars sang their music of silver light and the wind whispered her to sleep with words of softness. The darkness that claimed her was lighter than it had been in years.

Hoenn’s Lorekeeper woke the next morning to find the blanket draped across her own lap and an empty Dragonhark. That was alright, though. For once, Cora was confident that her words had been heard

~∆~

**Epilogue**

_Zinnia,_

_Welcome home. I don’t know why you’re back, or what your situation is, but if you’re going to be here awhile, please come visit me at the Pokemon League. Just tell the receptionists who you are and they’ll send you through._

_I never got a chance to tell you, before you left last time. I_ (something is scribbled darkly out here) _wish we’d met under better circumstances. I would give anything to get to know you better. Your way with pokemon is unbelievable, your historical knowledge is incomparable. I believe we have a lot to learn from each other. Besides that, I….. I enjoyed every minute of your company for the few days we knew each other. Not terribly moving, I know, but it ought to be said._

_Anyway, enough about me. Please consider my offer, and know that the land of Hoenn will always welcome you back, should you chose to stay._

_Yours,_

_Cora_

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @themodethecitythesoul for more shenanigans.


End file.
